How Social Networking Can Grow Your Business

Perhaps you are a business owner thinking that your business is much too sophisticated and "white collar" to be involved in social networking. Answer one question: how many of your clients have computers? Even the ones, who do not have computers, have access to an internet connection and communicate via a social networking site once or more a day. If you are not utilizing social networking advertising for your business, you are missing a very inexpensive and effective means of reaching both existing and new customers.

Facebook Your Business

If you look up the statistics on Facebook, they are staggering! Facebook, the genius of a college student named Mark Zuckerberg, launched its social networking site in 2004. According the Facebook press statistics, there were more than 500 million active users in July 2010. In Australia, the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory even ruled facebook as a legal way to serve a court summons! Facebook is a phenomenon that many businesses are catching on to quickly. Many having jumped on the bandwagon with facebook pages advertising their business. Customers will be quick to "fan" your page and keep up with your events and advertising. If you are missing out on facebook to advertise your business, you are missing out big!

Twitter Your Business

Twitter has become a socially acceptable means of advertising for businesses. Twitter is a smart marketing move for savvy business owners. Many high profile business owners use Twitter for advertising such as Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com and John Jantsch, the Duct Tape Marketing founder. Twitter is huge, with many people even receiving "tweets" on their cell phone. Just imagine orders rolling in to a local restaurant via "twitter!"

Twitter is also an effective research tool for businesses. Instead of paying for an extensive survey, you can simply see what people are saying online about your business via Twitter. Receive feedback from customers, suggestions for new product lines, and how satisfied customers are with your prices.

The social networking trend is here to stay. Smart businesses will get on board with this form of inexpensive and effective advertising. Businesses can even facebook and tweet at the same time, linking the two services. It is a win-win advertising scenario for businesses.

Sources:

http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

http://blog.compete.com/2009/02/09/facebook-myspace-twitter-social-network/

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/12/16/1229189579001.html

http://www.copyblogger.com/grow-business-twitter/